September 26, 2014

What would you do?

Do you ever wonder what it would be like to be homeless? Probably not. Some of us are one paycheck away from not having a home or maybe no food, but why would this cross our mind? We are not “One of those people”. How would it be to not have healthcare, dental care and vision plans? What if we didn’t know where our next meal was coming from? A long time ago in a not so far away place, my friend “SUBJECT X” (He prefers to remain nameless) was renting a place in Austin. At the time he struggled to pay the rent but made it none the less. As Austin grew so did the rent, eventually SUBJECT X could not afford it anymore and was forced onto the streets.

SUBJECT X recalls he tried to keep his technical skills intact, but he struggled raising his skills to earn the money needed for rent. SUBJECT X didn’t get the chance to go to college and honed his skills in the food industry. When the rent went up and the money stayed the same, SUBJECT X quit his job as a waiter to see if he could earn more in human testing trials. SUBJECT X could earn up to $2000 in some studies but they required him stay at the testing facility. Temporary housing and temporary money can lead to great anxiety. SUBJECT X also bought and sold hot wheel cars between paid human studies. Soon enough the hot wheel business dried up and pharmaceutical testing is not as prevalent. SUBJECT X now stays near the popular Austin Zilker Park. He would like to move away someday; to some place that has better options for his future. If you couldn’t tell already, SUBJECT X is kind of embarrassed by his situation. He was hesitant for me to talk about his story in a blog. This all got me wondering today, what would you do if you were homeless? What if your dad or mom, your brother or sister, daughter or son were homeless? Would you look at them in the same way? Would you be any different than SUBJECT X? Could you be the next SUBJECT X?